Afternoons

Every second Thursday we invite a guest to come and help solve some of the world's problems - this week Jesse is joined by journalist Simon Wilson who wonders why we can't all just play more football and avoid more wars.

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"Who is Aotearoa New Zealand's greatest ever Olympian?" It's the kind of question that - at least before the smartphone - you could spend hours arguing about down the pub. Our guest on NZ Sport History today is sports journalist Joseph Romano. He's been to every Olympics since the 1980s so he's better placed than most of us to come up with an answer. His latest book - "NZ's Top Olympians" - charts our Olympic History. He chats to Jesse.

Our chance to chat about the topics that might not be on the news but do fill up your group chats. With Jesse in the Auckland studio are Kate Rodger and Senior Afternoons producer Olivia Wilson and joining them from the old RNZ building is Culture 101 host Perlina Lau. This week the group discusses Duffy comeback, MAFS Australia allegations and President Trump's seemingly never-ending handshake with Brigitte Macron, the French President's wife.

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We want to chat about Australian politics now, because Pauline Hanson and her One Nation party are experiencing a surge in popularity. And by surge, three out of four recent federal polls show One Nation in the lead, one survey even had Hanson ahead as preferred Prime Minister. The party that was once seen as a fringe is suddenly looking like a major force, to discuss Jesse is joined by pollster and former Victorian Labor party strategist Kosmos Samaras.

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For anyone who spends time with children, whether your own, your grandchildren or your friends' children, you'll know just how good a good playground is. But how to find them? Well one Auckland dad and his five-year-old twins have created a dedicated website to help. Jong Lee is behind https://www.northshoreplaygrounds.co.nz/

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Bottom trawling has been a big topic of conversation this week. On Tuesday we spoke to Caitlin from the WWF about its poll showing almost half of New Zealanders think bottom trawling is the biggest threat to the ocean. Today we're following that up with a commercial fisherman's perspective. Tony Roach is the owner and skipper of a 76 gross tonne trawler.

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The United States and Iran have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the 3 month conflict which has sent energy prices soaring and disrupted global supply chains The deal was signed in secret in Versailles bringing an immediate end to all military operations in both Iran and Lebanon for 60 days giving negotiators time to work through the details of a final agreement. President Donald Trump says the crucial shipping route the Strait of Hormuz will reopen "so soon" although experts say there are some obstacles preventing traffic from returning to the levels seen before the conflict began. So will consumers see relief any time soon? How quickly could prices fall? And how long will it take for the global economy to rebound? Independent economist Cameron Bagrie joins Jesse to try to answer those questions and more.

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Starting is hard when it requires taking a step into a future that's so unpredictable. For young people entering the workforce today, that challenge is even greater. First the pandemic disrupted their education and early careers, and now artificial intelligence is reshaping industries almost as fast as they can enter them. When Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist Jodi Kantor was invited to deliver a commencement speech at her alma mater, Columbia University, she knew graduates weren't looking for easy answers or inspirational clichés. Best known for breaking the Harvey Weinstein story, Kantor has spent years reporting on power, work, technology and social change. That speech became a book about finding meaningful work and building a life shaped by your own choices and ambitions. It's called How to Start: Discovering Your Life's Work.

Kelly Gibney joins Jesse to share a recipe that is heavy on flavour but light on time.

Heading Off is our weekly segment where we take you on adventures from the comfort of your home. If you've got a travel tale you'd like to share, we'd love to hear it, get in touch via 2101 or [email protected] and we might be in touch. Today we're off to the Azores, off mainland Portugal, where our guest Sarah Schmitt got the chance to experience life as a research scientist on a 10-day whale tracking expedition.